2011

Groups, Firms Weigh In On Privacy Report

Happy Data Privacy Day! It is a day celebrated in Canada, most of Europe and the United States to raise awareness and discussion about data privacy and protection. Whether it was meant to coincide with Data Privacy Day or not, Friday is also the deadline for comments on the Commerce Department's draft privacy report.

Chris Hoofnagle, director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology's information privacy programs, argued that if the FTC is going to take on the role of enforcer of privacy violations as Commerce has recommended, the commission needs greater authority to levy fines and implement rules as well as more resources.

Noting that FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz has pushed Congress to provide the FTC with greater rulemaking authority, Hoofnagle said in his comments that, "The Department of Commerce should support these initiatives in order to bolster its narrative surrounding FTC enforcement."
1/28/2011